1A/N: Hey everybody sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been really busy. I finally got this second chapter finished so here it is. Hope ya'll enjoy!
Chapter Two: Scared of Looking Back
It was the end of July and it was time to take the kids school shopping again. Tony always looked forward to that time because the kids would drive Kate crazy about not wanting to go back to school, but at the same time they would throw a fit about what kind of school supplies they wanted. Luckily they didn't have to shop for that many new clothes because they went to a private school, where they were required to wear uniforms. Kate was always uptight around this time because the kids drove her crazy, but at the same time she didn't want them to go back to school. She would usually come home from a shopping trip and yell at Tony for sboslutely nothing, which he realized made her incredibly sexy to him. Then after much arguing they would 'make up', which of course Tony enjoyed thoroughly.
However this year was a little different because Kate was four months pregnant and the Doctor ordered her to rest as much as possible, and to try and be stress free. So Tony had volunteered to take the kids school shopping even though Kate told him she would be fine to take them. But she lost the arguement and had to stay home while the rest of her family went on a trip to Wal-Mart.
But Kate didn't like to miss out on stuff and being the stubborn person that she is she followed Tony and the kids in Tony's sports car that he insisted he have three years ago. She watched as he hustled all the kids out of their SUV and into the store. Then she got out and went inside. She was standing at the end of the school supplies aisle watching Tony with the kids, when Kayden happened to turn around and see her.
"Mom" he yelled as he took the backpack he was holding and ran down the aisle to her.
Tony and the other kids looked up and saw her as well, so they headed towards her. When they finally got to her Kayden was telling her what stuff he wanted, including the backpack.
"Kate what are you doing here? You're supposed to be resting, with stress free activities" Tony stated
"You're kidding right?" Kate gave him one of her looks, "My kids are going back to school in two weeks, my daughter is turning nine a month from today, I'm pregnant with twins, and...oh yeah I'm turning forty in two and a half weeks. Yeah that's nothing to be stressed out about" she told him
"Look I just want you and the babies to be okay"
"We are, okay Tony, I'm fine they're fine" she told him, her voice rising slightly
"Okay, okay" he said throwing his hands up in the air.
As Kate walked back down the aisle with the kids, Tony stood there with a confused look on his face.
"Wait, Kate, how'd you get here?" he asked as he ran to catch up with them
Kate turned around and gave him one of her sneaky smiles.
"I don't know DiNozzo, how do you think I got here?" she asked him as she raised her eyebrows at him, before turning her attention back to the kids.
Tony stood there shocked, he now knew that she had taken his Corvette in order to get here, and he was speechless. He wanted to cry, but not in front of the kids. He also wanted to run out to the parking lot and inspect the car inch by inch, from front to back, but if he asked Kate for the keys she'd know he was freaked out. 'Oh screw it' he thought, 'She already knows I'm freaked out. That's probably why she did it.'
"Umm Kate, can I have the keys to the 'vette?"
"Why Tony? Don't you trust me with it?" she asked him, "I mean I trust you with my kids don't I?"
That was true, but techinically they were their kids, but the car was only his. Of course sometimes it might seem like he treated the car better than the kids.
"Of course I trust you baby. I don't trust other people, especially in a parking lot" he told her
"Mmhmm, I'm so sure that's it" she replied with a slight smile, "You're gonna stand there holding your breath until I give you the keys aren't you"
"Please Kate, "I'll be right back, I swear" he begged
She rolled her eyes before she took the keys out of her back pocket and tossed them to him, "Just try and make it back in here within reasonable time" she yelled as he took off, but she doubted that he heard anything, he took off so fast.
He was already outside by the time that he realized he had forgotten to ask Kate where she parked. So he pressed the panic button so that he could follow the sound of the arlarm. He found it right across from where he had parked the SUV.
He ran over to it and inspected it from the back to the front, running his hands across the red paint to check for ships or scratches. He knew that car like the back of his hand and he wanted to make sure that everything was in it's rightful place and that nothing bad had happened to it.
Once he was absolutely certain the 'vette was okay he went abck inside only to find Kate and the kids in the check out line. He hurried over to help her with the stuff and she just rolled her eyes at him before saying,
"I hope you found everything still in order"
"Of course. I never doubted you babe, only other people" he told her, although that wasn't entirely true.
"Yeah right" she replied, as she and the kids grabbed the bags and headed for the door.
After they had loaded all of the bags and the kids into the SUV, Kate turned to Tony,
"Can I have the keys"
He looked horrified when she asked that and she knew it was because he thought that she wanted the keys to the Corvette, which she didn't.
"The keys to the Navigator DiNozzo, not to the love of your life" she told him
"Oh right, I knew that" he smiled as he handed the keys over to her, "And sweetheart I don't love my car more than you"
"Yeah right, and I was a virgin when I married you" she joked, and he couldn't help but smile at her when she said that, and stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear,
"No you most definitely were not" as he kissed her neck.
"Okay Tony that's what got us here" she said pointing to her belly and then to the car at the four kids inside waiting.
"Right, but it was fun getting there" he told her with a smile as he wriggled his eyebrows.
"Go ahead babe, go have some fun with your car. Just make sure you're home for dinner" she told him
He got that huge excited DiNozzo grin on his face when she told him that and then jumped in the air. He poked his head into the SUV and said,
"Love ya kids, I'll see you at dinner"
Then he kissed Kate on the lips and said,
"You're the best wife in the world. Love ya babe"
As he ran towards his Corvette Kate couldn't help but laugh at his antics. He was like a little kid on Christmas morning, he was so excited.
Kate took the kids back home and helped the separate their belongings into different piles and then they put it all in their backpacks. While Tony was out cruising the streets, all of the kids wandered off to play while Kate sat down on the couch to relax.
A few minutes later Annie joined Kate on the couch.
"Hey baby"
"Have you got me a present yet?" Annie asked her mother.
Kate smiled and asked,
"Why do you want to know?"
Annie shrugged her shoulders.
"Well what do you want for your birthday?" Kate asked her daughter
"My own room" she answered matter of factly.
Kate just laughed and said,
"Sweetie we already talked about that"
"I know" she replied as she leaned into Kate
"Mom why are me and Kayden in the same grade if we have different birthdays. I mean we aren't twins, so I don't get it"
Kate let out a small giggle as she looked at her daughter. She always thought kids were so funny, all of the sudden out of the blue they would ask a question and you wouldn't be prepared for it and it would usually surprise you.
"Well you know that I had a lot of problems when I was pregnant with you"
"I remember you told me something about how you were in the hospital a lot"
"Yeah and a mommy usually has a baby when she's nine months along, but you came when I was only six months along"
"I was real sick when I was born, wasn't I?"
"Yes, and very, very tiny. I didn't even get to hold you until you were two months old. By then you were healthy enough to be picked up and moved around"
"Were you scared when you had me?" Annie asked curiously
"Yes, because I didn't want anything to happen to you" Kate answered as she wrapped her arm around her daughter to pull her even closer to her.
"Even though I'm not sure I want the babies I hope you'll be okay" Annie told her mother
"Don't worry sweetie, I'm sure everything will be okay" she told her daughter reasurringly.
Not two minutes later Tony walked through the front door with a huge smile on his face, causing Kate to smile as well. He walked over to his wife and daughter and said,
"There's my two beautiful lady's"
Annie giggled and Kate rolled her eyes as he said that. Then he bent down and kissed Annie on the top of the head before kissing Kate on the lips.
"And what are my two beauties doing?"
"Talking" Kate answered sarcastically
Tony narrowed his eyes slightly before looking over to his daughter for an answer.
"We were talking about when I was born" Annie told him
"Ahh" said Tony, "You know you're a very strong-willed kid. Even the Doctors commented on what a fighter you were"
"Really?"
"Yep. And I told them, yeah well she gets that strong-willed stubborn side from her mother" Tony told her with a smile
Annie laughed when her dad said that, and commented,
"So I am like mom"
"Yeah well that's about the only thing you inherited from her. I am proud to say you got your good looks and humor from me" Tony said proudly
Kate rolled her eyes again and Annie replied,
"You might be proud but I'm not"
Tony's face dropped at his daughter's comment and he gave her one of the looks that he usually gave Kate when she had a smart remark. But it did not good. Kate thought it was hilarious and high-fived Annie for her remark.
Tony just shook his head at the two of them and tried to suppress a smile.
"I think you need to stop hanging around your mother so much, she's a bad influence on you"
"Really, cause that's what she tells me about you" said Annie
"Oh, another one. You're on a role" Kate told her daughter
"I learn from the best" replied Annie
"That would be me" Tony said as Kate was still laughing
"Actually, I was going to say Uncle Gibbs" Annie finished
Tony and Kate both stopped and stared at their daughter. They both thought 'Damn she's good'
Annie watched her parents reactions and then said,
"Gotchya"
Tony and Kate both looked at each other before Kate turned and started tickling Annie, followed by Tony.
"Nooo" Annie laughed, "Stop"
Kate and Tony stopped and looked at their daughter before Tony said,
"Isn't it about time for you to get cleaned up for dinner"
So Annie gave her mom a hug and a kiss and said I love you before standing up and giving her dad a hug. But Tony reached down and picked her up, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you squirt"
"Love you too daddy" she replied before he sat her down and watched her run off down the hallway.
Tony then plopped down on the couch next to Kate. She turned to look at him, a smile on her face,
"So did you have fun?"
He looked at her and his facial expressions completely answered the question. It looked like he was about to explode with excitement.
"Oh my God Kate, it was awesome. I haven't felt a rush like that in awhile"
"Glad you enjoyed it"
Tony leaned over and kissed her cheek before saying,
"Thanks for letting me go and have a little fun"
"Yeah well don't expect it very often. We're parents, we aren't supposed to be having that kinda fun"
Tony paused before saying, "What do you mean 'we'"
His face went from confused to shocked as his mouth dropped open,
"You...You did it, didn't you. You took my car for a joy ride before you came to Wal-Mart"
Kate smiled as wide as she could before nodding and saying, "Yes...Yes I did. And I have to say it was quite exhilarating"
"Exhilarating? Who says that?" he asked her
"McGee said it the other day" she told him
"Okay, yeah, lets not go using McGee's vocabulary" Tony said
They sat there in silence for awhile before Tony spoke up again,
"So you and Annie were talking about when she was born?"
"Yeah, she was curious about how her and Kayden are in the same grade, but aren't twins" she told him with a smile
"Yeah, see I told you we should have waited another year before putting her in preschool" said Tony
"Babe she would have been the oldest one in her class"
"Yeah well now she's the youngest"
"Actually Tony, she's not. There are two other kids younger than her in her grade"
"Well still"
"Tony she just would have been at home with the sitter. Besides the way we did it, Kade and Ann both had each other to help them through their first day of school"
"I guess" he replied unsatisfied
"Is something else bothering you?" Kate asked
He shrugged his shoulders, but didn't answer.
"Sweetie, do I need to entice you with some cookies?" she asked with a giggle
"Okay first of all I'm not Hobie, and second I'm not one of the kids"
"Well you're kind of acting like a child"
"I'm just worried" he told her with sincerity
"About what?"
He looked at her like she was dumb, before saying,
"You remember how many problems you had with Annie's birth, and you were only thirty one. Now you're forty and pregnant with twins. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you or the babies"
"First of all, I'm not forty yet and-"
"Kate you will be in a couple of weeks" he told her
"Thanks for that DiNozzo" she said as she crossed her arms and pouted a little
"Oh, now who's acting like a child?" he teased her
"Shut-up"
"Kate you have nothing to be ashamed about. You're beautiful, and I bet people who don't know you would never guess you were turning forty in a couple weeks"
"Really?"
"Really, you don't look it at all"
Kate uncrossed her arms and smiled at Tony before leaning into him and laying her head on his shoulder. They were silent for a couple of minutes before Kate asked,
"You're thinking about Annie's birth, aren't you"
"Yeah" he said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him, like he was afraid of losing her, as they both thought back to that day almost exactly nine years ago.
Flashback (9 years ago):
Kate had had some complications with her second pregnancy, and was admitted to the hospital in her fourth month. The Doctor had told her this was going to be a high risk pregnancy and it would be better if she just stayed in bed and rested for the next few months. Of course she didn't like to just lay around and do nothing, but she did it anyway.
She stayed in bed while Tony went to work. Her sister in law Sarah offered to stay at the house with her while Tony was at work. So every day for the next two months Kate stayed in bed, for the most part, while Sarah watched over her and helped her to take care of Kayden.
By the beginning of her sixth month the Doctor told Kate that she it would be okay if she moved around more, and that she didn't have to stay in bed all the time, which Kate thought was great.
About a week later she called Tony at work to see if he would bring her some papers and a book out of her desk. He told her he had to go to Norfolk with McGee for the rest of the day, but he would bring it to her when he got back. So she decided to just go get them herself.
She took Kayden with her and went to NCIS. As soon as she got off of the elevator and Gibbs saw her, he got angry.
"I don't think so Kate, get back in that elevator and go home"
"Relax Gibbs, the Doctor said it was okay if I got out and about. Besides I just came to get some stuff out of my desk" she told him, "Here take Kayden" she said handing her six and a half month old son to him.
She went and sat down at her desk for awhile, while Gibbs held and entertained Kayden. Meanwhile Abby had come up from the lab and was chatting with Kate. Gibbs then got a call from McGee telling him they didn't find anything useful. Then Gibbs' voice changed as he was talking to McGee on the phone.
"McGee. McGee are you okay?" Gibbs yelled into his phone
Kate and Abby were immediately focused on Gibbs when they heard the tone of his voice.
"Gibbs what is it?" asked Abby as she took Kayden from him.
"Is Tony okay?" Kate asked nervously
Then Gibbs' conversation was cut off.
"Gibbs why'd you hang up?" Kate asked
"I didn't McGee did"
"What happened?" asked Abby
"They're in the middle of a shootout"
"What?" Kate asked standing up
"Kate sit down" Gibbs ordered
"But-"
"No buts Agent Todd" he told her
But before she even had time to sit down, there was a sharp pain in her stomach.
"Ow" she said aloud as she grabbed her stomach.
"Kate" Abby said reaching out for her friend and helping her sit down, while still holding Kayden.
"What's wrong?" Gibbs asked as he hurried over to them
"I don't know, it hurts" Kate said in pain, while holding her stomach
"C'mon let's get you to the hospital" Gibbs said, grabbing one side of her, while Abby helped with the other side, while also still trying to hold on to Kayden.
"What about Tony and McGee?" she asked
'They'll have to wait Kate, I can't do anything for them right now" Gibbs told her
"And just...ow...what are you...owww...going to do for me" she asked through the pain as they slowly made it to the elevator.
"Take you to the hospital" he answered
"Ohh no, Gibbs, you're driving will...owwww...put me into labor for sure" she told him
"She's kinda right Gibbs" Abby told her boss
"Well it's gonna take awhile for an ambulance to get here" he reminded both of them
"Okay never mind, let's go" Kate said as he knees buckled under the pain.
Gibbs then reached for Kate and scooped her up in his arms.
"What are you doing?" Kate asked in shock
"Getting you to the car as fast as I can"
"Will you call Tony. Make sure owww" she let out a long painful moan as the elevator doors closed with her, Gibbs, Abby, and Kayden inside.
As soon as they arrived at the hospital Kate was wheeled into an exam room, while Gibbs and Abby waited in the waiting room. While Abby was trying to keep Kade entertained, Gibbs repeatedly tried calling Tony and McGee, with no avail. He was really starting to worry.
"Gibbs do you think Kate and the baby are going to be alright?" Abby asked
"Of course Abbs, you know how stubborn Kate is, and if the baby is anything like her then they will both be fine"
"What about Tony and McGee?"
"Abbs I'm sure they're fine"
"Then why aren't-"
As if on cue Gibbs' phone rang and he saw that it was Tony, "DiNozzo what the hell are you doing. I've been calling-What? Are you okay? Okay well listen, Kate's in the hospital. I know. I don't know she was at the office and she just got these sharp pains in her stomach. Yeah, I know DiNozzo. She's been with the Dr's for about twenty minutes. Okay well hurry"
After he had hung up, he knew Abby was waiting for an answer.
"Tony was grazed by a bullet, but him and McGee are fine and they're on their way back here"
"What do you mean grazed?"
"I don't know that's all he said, he was grazed in the arm" Gibbs said annoyingly, "Geeze what is taking the Dr. so long"
"Calm down Gibbs, you're making me nervous" Abby told him
Some fifteen minutes later a Dr finally came into the waiting room for them.
"Is there a Mr. Todd here?"
"The last name is DiNozzo" Gibbs said getting up
"Excuse me"
"She and her husband's last name is DiNozzo. He's not here yet"
"Oh, well are you family?" the Dr asked him
"Yes we are" Abby answered as she stood up next to Gibbs.
"Well she went into premature labor. Her OBGYN is in with her right now and we are making her as comfortable as possible"
"So she's going to have the baby today?" Gibbs asked
"Most likely. We are running some more tests to be sure the baby is still okay. If the tests show everything looks good then we will take her in for surgery"
"Surgery" Abby spoke up
"Yes. She's going to have to have a C-section because the baby isn't completely developed and she hasn't fully turned in the womb. The baby is still right side up, meaning it would be a breech birth, which is very dangerous, even if the baby was further developed"
"Wait while ago you said she, were you talking about the baby?" Abby asked
"Oh didn't you know?" the Dr asked
"No we didn't, they wanted to be surprised" Abby told him
"Okay, well let the nurse behind that desk know when Mr. DiNozzo gets here" he told them pointing down the hall to a desk/information area.
"Okay" replied Gibbs
About an hour later Tony and McGee came running down the hall looking for them. Gibbs could tell Tony hadn't been treated for his gunshot because he just had a t-shirt wrapped around his arm and blood was still seeping through.
"Gibbs thank God, where is she? Is she okay?" Tony asked quickly
"Calm down Tony. The Dr said to tell the nurse behind that desk when you got here" Gibbs told him, pointing at the desk just down the hall.
"Okay" he responded taking off towards the desk.
"Why didn't he get his arm treated before you drove all the way back here?" Gibbs asked McGee
"Boss if you got a call about you're wife being taken to the hospital with sever stomach pains when she was six months pregnant, would you wait to have your arm looked at, or would you go straight to the hospital she was at?" he said
"Yeah well I doubt they're going to let him into surgery with her now, since he's still bleeding" Gibbs stated
"Surgery?" questioned McGee
"Kate has to have a C-Section today" Abby told him
"But she's only six months along" McGee commented, slightly confused and worried at the same time.
"Yeah well she's been having too many complications with her pregnancy, plus her water already broke. And the baby is a breech" Gibbs told him
They all looked over at Tony, who was being led into a different room than where they had taken Kate. And anyone could tell by the look on their three faces just how worried they were for Kate and the baby. This was something none of them could control. No matter where his agents were Gibbs could always keep them as safe as possible in certain situations, but this, this was nothing anyone could control, and there was nothing any of them could do but wait.
The Dr had told Tony that Kate was already in the surgery room for the C-Section. And that the Dr probably already started the procedure. Tony wasn't allowed in because he was still bleeding and they didn't want to risk any infections or diseases into the clean air. The Dr told him that as soon as he had his arm cleaned and stitched up he would be allowed to go in and see Kate.
About an hour later Tony came into the waiting room with a partial smile on his face.
"I'm a daddy again" he told his friends and colleagues
"Aww, what's her name?" Abby asked
"Her? How'd you know it was a girl? Did I miss something?" McGee asked confused
"Yeah Abbs, how'd you know it was a girl?" asked Tony
"I'm gifted, no tell me is she okay? How's Kate?"
Tony just looked from her to Gibbs who had a small smile on his face.
"The Dr let it slip that it was a baby girl" Gibbs told Tony
"Aww Gibbs, why'd you have to tell him that, I could have had the whole office going. Could've made some money telling people's futures" Abby pouted
"Tony c'mon what's her name and how's Kate?" McGee asked
"Kate's doing okay, considering. She actually lost a lot of blood, but she's resting right now"
"And the baby?" asked Abby
"Well she's not doing so good. She's really, really tiny and they said her heart having problems pumping enough oxygen to her brain, so they have her on a ventilator, inside an incubator, with a feeding tube"
"Oh my gosh, Tony" Abby said, walking over to hug him, while still holding Kayden, "Do they think she's going to be okay?"
"They said if she makes it through the night then that's a good sign, and if she makes it through the week then she is clear of the most dangerous stuff, but-"
"Tony I'm sure if she's anything like you and Kate she'll be stubborn and strong-willed and she'll be home before you know it" commented McGee
"Yeah. She's so helpless though. I mean she only weighs a little over one and a half pounds and Kate blames herself"
"It's not Kate's fault this pregnancy was so different than Kayden's" Abby said
"I know, but she thinks it's her fault that she went into labor so soon. But the Doctors told us that even if she wouldn't have gone up to the office she still would have gone into labor either today or tomorrow. They said it was probably better that she was at work with you guys because you were able to get her to the hospital right away. If she would have been home alone, who knows what could have happened"
"Has Kate been able to hold her or anything?" Abby asked
"No neither of us are allowed to hold her until she gets some strength and gains some weight. So who knows when we will get to hold her"
"I'm sure she'll be fine Tony. Ten years from no you'll be telling her the story of her birth and she was a miracle baby" McGee told him
Tony smiled and said, "I hope so Probie"
"DiNozzo are you going to tell us her name or keep us guessing?" questioned Gibbs
Tony smiled and said, "Well you know Kate got to name Kayden so it was my turn to name this one"
"Uh-oh" McGee said, "What car did you name her after?"
"Funny Probie. Her name is Antimony Caitlin DiNozzo. I liked it cause I thought it sounded close to Anthony. And I figured we might not be able to have any more kids after this birth. And even if we could, if we knew the same thing was possible we probably wouldn't have any more"
"It's a beautiful name Tony" Gibbs told him
"Yeah and you could call her Annie for short" Abby stated
"Yeah I know"
Annie made it through the first night and then the first week. The Doctors were all impressed with how well she was doing, although they were still concerned with her.
Two weeks after Kate had given birth she was finally released from the hospital. But that didn't stop her from spending as much tim with Annie as possible. Gibbs gave Tony two weeks off which he spent with Annie and Kate. Now it was time for him to go back to work, which he wasn't very excited about.
However when Annie was one month old Kate was sitting in the ICU for babies, next to Annie's incubator when all of the sudden the machine starting beeping. The Dr's came rushing in and blocked Kate's view of what was going on. Then a few minutes later after continuously yelling at the Dr's, one of them turned to her with a smile on his face.
"Well Mrs DiNozzo you definitely have a little fighter here"
"Does that mean she's okay?"
"Yes. Actually she was trying to breathe on her own and was fighting against the machine. She's off the ventilator now, which is remarkable given her circumstances"
"Will we be able to take her home soon?" Kate asked
"We will just have to wait and see. She's still considered in critical condition. She still needs to gain some more weight to help her immune system, so that when she gets home she won't be as susceptible to diseases"
"Then I guess I can't bring her brother in here to meet her?" she asked
"We might be able to arrange something like that. Is he here?"
"Not yet, but my sister-in-law is on her way here with him"
"I think we can arrange for them to spend a few minutes together. Just let me know when they get here"
"Thank you Dr"
About an hour later tony finally got to the hospital after Kate had called and told him she had some good news about Annie. When he walked into the ICU he couldn't help but smile. Kate was sitting as close as she could to the incubator, holding Kayden. And Kate and Kayden's hands went through the opening into the incubator and Tony could see that Annie's little hand was wrapped around two of Kayden's fingers.
"Look Tony" Kate said to him with a smile on her face, when she saw him come in.
"I know" he said, walking over to them, "This is amazing"
Exactly one month later Tony and Kate were finally able to hold Annie, and then a couple of weeks after that they were able to take her home. They had a big welcome home party for her with all of Tony and Kate's family and friends, which of course included the people from NCIS.
Present:
As Tony and Kate sat on the couch together Tony kissed Kate on the top of the head and said,
"I love you so much"
"I know. I love you too"
Just then screaming came from down the hall, followed by barking, hissing, and a loud thud.
"Are you sure we want more of this" Tony asked jokingly
"Hey you're the one who got me this way" she told him as they got up to find out what mess their kids had gotten into this time.
A/N: Well there it is. Hope ya'll enjoyed it. Once again I haven't started the third chapter, so it may take awhile. Please review and let me know what ya'll think. Oh yeah, I already have picked out what sex the babies are going to be and what I their names are going to be, but just out of curiosity what do you think the sex and the names of the babies should be. Should they stick with the K's and A's, or branch out to something different. If you guess the right names that I have chosen, I might let you know! Thanks!